PARENTS, children, teachers and trade union activists will tomorrow demonstrate outside the Council House in Coventry against plans to close, merge or shrink 12 city primary schools....

PARENTS, children, teachers and trade union activists will tomorrow demonstrate outside the Council House in Coventry against plans to close, merge or shrink 12 city primary schools.

The protest will greet councillors when they arrive for an extraordinary meeting of the council at 5.30pm to discuss the controversial recommendations as part of a strategy to cut the estimated number of surplus places in primary schools by more than 2,000 by 2005.

The recommendations were made following a two-month public consultation period, which saw the future of St Anne's RC Primary, Willenhall, and Corpus Christi RC Primary, Ernesford Grange, secured while six other schools face closure and amalgamation and six have been identified for downsizing.

Tomorrow's meeting of the full council could result in councillors approving the recommendations in principle.

Parents from St Mary's RC Primary, Landsdowne Street, Hillfields, will be among those at the demonstration - their school would cease to exist and become part of St Benedict's RC Primary, Leigh Street, Hillfields, under the proposals.

Jane Nellist, pictured, joint divisional secretary of the National Union of Teachers, is calling for all teachers and parents to lobby the meeting.

She said: "They think the fight is ended and that we will go away but our opposition to these proposals is founded on solid educational arguments. The city council has failed to listen to teachers and their concerns.

"Although the decision to remove the threat of closure from St Anne's is welcome, it is clear that the 'surplus places' issue will remain a threat hanging over other schools in that area."